Choices and Lies
by fangirling.freak
Summary: After Garu pushes Pucca, she decides that she's done with him. After Pucca's choice, Tobe makes the perfect move to make Pucca his servant. How far will he go until Garu finds out? PuccaxGaru
1. Confidence?

**My first fanfic (: anybody excited? I am for sure! Please leave a review and tell me what you think, I would really appreciate it. Please enjoy the story (: this is** **NOT a one shot, it will have more chapters. _Let the shipping rage on!_ (I watched Frozen too many times).**

**(c) Vooz**

**Characters don't belong to me.**

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The tears flushed down Pucca's intimidated face in front of the man she loved. "Fine! If you hate me that much, then I'll just stop loving you!" Pucca shouted at Garu. She couldn't take it anymore, what's the point of loving somebody who just pushes you away? There is no point. She turned from him and walked towads the village wiping her tears. She was too heartbroken to run. She now hated him deep inside her heart, but somewhere even deeper in the broken heart.. she wished he would stop her from walking away... But he didn't stop her. All he did was walk back to his home, shrugging it off.

She was walking slower and slower by the second, but eventually, she reached her home. The first thing she did was run up the stairs trying not to be noticed, she can't let anybody see her swollen red eyes after all the crying.

**Pucca's POV**

I gloomily walked over to my bed and sat up against the wall with my knees against my chest. Tears washed down again. I'm trying to stop these affectionate feelings, but being alone only makes me love him even more. No. I shouldn't be feeling this, this shouldn't be happening. A prince is supposed to rescue.. where's my prince? I guess I love Garu too much to let him go.

I cried even more, and after a while, I heard a knock on my door. Normally, I would want it to be Garu, but today, I hope it's Ching. "Come in." I said in nothing but a normal voice. I couldn't let that person know I was feeling down, and if I force myself to be happy, someone will eventually notice that I'm faking. I saw the doorknob turn to reveal my uncle. Relief came to me, yet also fear. "Oh, hi Uncle Dumpling, I thought you were Ching." I said with a slightly visible smile.

"Oh, she's downstairs if you want her." Uncle Dumpling said. He probably just came up to make sure I was okay. I did come back home with no words to anybody. Suddenly, my wounded heart healed a little. Why worry about Garu when there are people who love me? My confidence built up a little, there are people downstairs who love and adore me. I'm not alone. I'm not some jerk who hides in the forest with a cat. We all know who I'm talking about.

"Oh alright. Thanks. I just want to be up here alone for a while." I said politely. I don't want him to be too curious.

"Alright. I just came to make sure you're okay. Feel free to a meal whenever." he said with a friendly smile. I gave him a smile back, I think he understood what I meant when I said I wanted to be alone. Thank goodness. He turned away and closed the door... Now what? Am I just supposed to stay in my room? What if Garu is downstairs? What if the thing that happened didn't matter to him? Maybe a walk around the village would clear my mind. Confidence completely built up 100% as I stepped off my bed. I stretched my back and looked out the window that was right by my bed. A very sunny day, probably no chance of rain.

Maybe this is a sign. Bright sunny day after I left behind someone who I wasn't meant to be with. Heaven is giving me a sign to move on. I walked out of my room with the normal smile I had everyday. Although I moved on from Garu, I still hope I don't bump into him.

I noticed Ching and she smiled and waved at me. I did the same back. I could tell that she was too hungry to go anywhere else, and Uncle Dumpling probably told her I wanted to be alone. Thank goodness that there are people who actually understand feelings. I thought those people had gone extinct. Haha, that was a thought I've always had when I met Garu actually.

**Garu's POV**

I noticed Mio following behind me as I was walking towards my home. He meowed and rubbed his forehead against my leg. I smiled and picked him up as he began purring. Although I may sound like I'm fine, I'm really not. I'm feeling remorseful after what I have done to Pucca. I shouldn't have pushed her, it was too harsh. Oh well, it's Pucca we're talking about, she'll come running back to me soon. Nothing I should worry about. Once she comes running to me, then I'll apologize. She probably doesn't want to be bothered right now.

Yet again, thinking about her all alone in her room crying her little heart out just breaks me somehow. She doesn't deserve any of this. When she turned and walked away trying to wipe her endless tears, I wanted to stop her, I wanted to chase over to her and stop her from walking away from me. But somehow, I just didn't have the confidence. I'm supposed to be her prince, why wouldn't I rescue her? All she ever wanted to do was to live a romance fantasy.

Yet it's not always my fault that she pushes me too far, I thought it was time to push her back. Ugh, I sound like a horrible person. Yet again, you can't force someone to fall in love, it can't always work. She's too desperate for love, she doesn't care what I think at all. I do understand her feelings, that's for sure. I know what she's thinking whenever I see her, we've spent time together that much that I know everything about her. Ever since I met her.

**Pucca's POV**

I walked out the door of the restaurant and my mind went blank like Garu's heart. Oh no. What was I thinking? What am I gonna do? What if I _really _see Garu? Do I run away, ignore, hide, confront? How about all of these options? Take it step y step. All these fears suddenly built up inside of me. I guess I don't have confidence like I thought I did. No. I'm not ready for this. I need more time alone. "Well hello Pucca." I heard a man say. I knew who it was immediately, and my fear grew stronger.

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**Suspense! PLEASE leave a review, I love reading them (:**


	2. Tobe's Offer and Garu's Worries

**Finally chapter 2! Please review. That's the only way I'll feel motivated. I feel like this fandom is dying ):**

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**Garu's POV**

I've trained for a couple of hours now, and it feels too quiet. I know it's the fact that Pucca's not coming to visit me for the rest of the day. It's not bothering me. It's just that a day to myself hasn't happened in a really long time. I don't miss her coming to interrupt my training, I just enjoyed the fact that she thought about me and wanted to see me daily. There's nothing wrong with that.

People sometimes wonder if I understand feelings at all, and I do really. I know Pucca loves me, and I know she just wants me to give her more attention, but now I have a job to do, and that is to bring back honor to my family. Besides, I'm only 17 and Pucca is just 15, we're still children who don't need love now.

My stomach started growling, but there's no way I'm going to the Goh-Rong. I'm not sure if Pucca works today, but either way, I know I'll bump into her, and that can't happen now. I do care for her, so I just want to let her be alone right now. Yet again, Pucca probably has the most confidence than anyone else in Sooga Village, so I don't really know how Pucca feels right now. Either way, I already did something horrible to her, and I don't want to make her day worse.

I'll just eat whatever is in my home. I gave Mio a signal meaning that our training is over for now. He licked around his lips indicating that he was hungry as well, and we began walking back inside. And after that, I stopped thinking about Pucca.

**Pucca's POV**

Is this really the right decision? Is it even worth it? Throwing myself out there in the danger zone for a boy who doesn't even care about me in the slightest way? He doesn't even understand my feelings! I know how these love stories end. I think he doesn't love me, turns out he does, he saves me from something, and then we kiss, and then a happily ever after happens.

Well that's never going to happen, this is reality. And so far in my life, I came to believe that the definition of reality is; nothing perfect ever happens. I figured that definition out after knowing Garu for a while. Once I met him, I wanted to have a perfect life with him, but reality came in between us.

I don't want a prince anymore, whether Garu is the prince or not... If I keep thinking that, why am I willing to take this job offer from Tobe? It's only a threat. I can fight Tobe, he can't mess with my mind to make me agree. Tobe is like the dumbest villain in this village, along with his ninjas. I can fight Tobe right now. I can knock him out of the state. But right now.. I just couldn't. I've been hiding my feelings since I've stepped out of my home.

"How could you think I disrespect myself so much that I would possibly do what you say?" I growled, I was fighting back my urges to attack him. I beganthinking about this... Am I just denying myself? I was _just _thinking of letting it happen...

"Because clearly you still love that stupid boyfriend of yours." He said. That really got to me. I felt hurt and humiliated. But why so easily suddenly? Tobe always teases me for loving Garu, and he always refers Garu as "my stupid boyfriend". I wanted to scream and cry. But I let the emotions bottle up. Now's not the time to express them.

"I don't love him. And he's not my boyfriend." I shot back with no confidence at all. To be honest; I feel like I said that too weak. I didn't even look at him when I said it. I felt the heat rush up to my face. I pray that I'm not blushing.

"Listen redface, I was on my way to Garu's little area in the bamboo forest to have my vengeance, and I saw everything. The pushing, the crying, and the walking away. Damn, it was pathetic." Tobe said meaning to insult me.

I don't know what to feel. I wanted to scream, yell, cry, attack, everything. But somehow I couldn't even move a muscle. I resulted into a face of defeat. And I knew if I kept arguing, he would make me feel even worse, if that is even possible. I especially didn't want to cry in front of him. That would only prove his point, even though we both knew his point was already proven.

My mind went back to Garu. How would he react? Worse thing he could do is push me down again, otherwise, he would never hurt me. If anything, he wouldn't care. Like I said, he doesn't understand my feelings, so he wouldn't know that I'm doing this because I love him, right?

It was stupid to tell Garu that I'll just stop loving him. But.. I don't love him, right? It was destiny to leave my house and not bump into Garu. Sure I bumped into Tobe, but at least he wasn't Garu. But this is a dangerous choice, and I have to stick with it. No matter what. Me and Garu were never really a couple, I just really wanted us to be. Everybody considered him my boyfriend, and it broke my heart having to tell each person who calls him my boyfriend that he's not. But it's nice to notice that everybody really wants us to become a couple, I just hope Garu knows that.

I was wrong, I do love Garu. I just want to run back to him right now and hug him forever, but I can't do that. I can't just say I'll stop loving him, that's impossible. I want him so bad right now, but it's too late. This is my only option now.

**Garu's POV**

I found myself a few hours later on the floor in my house. Exhausted and tired. I've worked harder than usual today. To my right, I could see Mio walking towards me, I can tell that he's exhausted too. I sat up and watched as he lied down to take a nap. "Hahaha, rough day buddy?" I said as I pet him. A few seconds later I heard a knock on my door.

... Would it be Pucca? Like I said, she has confidence. I hadn't really thought of how to apologize yet. But yet again, it's not like she came here for an apology, it's most likely that she's been wanting to apologize.

I stood up and made my way for the door, I could definitely feel my heart beating. Was I nervous? I wouldn't be. But why is it pounding so hard? I opened the door to show Ching.

"Hey Garu, have you seen Pucca? I haven't talked to her all day, and I was wondering where she wandered off to." she said. Good thing she didn't suspect anything. Wait.. wandered off? I thought she went home after what happened today. I'm not going to tell her what happened, but I'm not going to lie either.

"Um, no. Not lately. After she came to visit me; I thought she would just go home." I said. Not saying too little, not saying too much. By the look of her face, I knew she believed me.

"Alright, well I'll just go ask Abyo. Sorry for bothering." she said politely and walked away.

I pray that Pucca doesn't tell her about what I have done to her. But I guess Pucca cares about me enough to know that telling others what happen would just ruin our relationship. Pucca is smarter than that.

**Pucca's POV**

Step by step. How to confront.

1\. Run away.  
2\. Ignore.  
3\. Hide.  
4\. Confront.

I have no idea how to confront him now, so I'll just follow these steps along the way. The next time I see him, I have to fight the urge to tackle him and smoother him with kisses. Although that's what I've been doing my whole life, and it became a habit. I have to control myself and not do it anymore. Garu would really appreciate that I bet.

**Garu's POV**

Hours have passed and I am still a bit curious about where Pucca is. It wouldn't be like her to run away... she would never leave Sooga after an incident like that right? Besides, where would she go? Pucca would never run away from her problems. That's the one thing I've noticed about her, she's incredibly strong. I've seen her fight, and it's quite impressive.

She's taken on Tobe's and his ninjas, although the ninjas are an easy target, Pucca still uses her top strength no matter what. She can beat anyone without even trying, and she doesn't even train like I do. I looked out the window and the sun was just about to set. I've literally been meditating for hours, only until Pucca popped into my mind again.

I wonder if Ching ever found Pucca, most likely she did. Pucca's got to return eventually.

I looked over to the clock on my wall, it's already 8. This is the time Pucca and Ching usually eat dinner together at the Goh-Rong.

I know I already promised myself I wouldn't go, but just thinking about Pucca wandering off by herself makes me worry a bit. Which is normal for a friend to do. Besides, if I don't apologize soon, Pucca might actually run away.

I know that I'm thinking crazy now. Pucca would never do that. But it's better safe than sorry. Running away would never be Pucca's choice, although. I looked over to the other side of the room to see Mio still napping. I know it's better to not wake him, because he would be grumpy the entire time, so I went ahead and let him sleep. We have been training a lot lately.

I walked through the forest and into the streets of Sooga. Nobody was out right now. They would either be eating dinner or walking home. I looked ahead and I saw the restaurant, and the lights were still on, and I can see from the windows that people were in there enjoying their dinner. Hopefully Pucca's in there. It upsets me how the whole Sooga Village practically ships me and Pucca, and yet they don't even know what I have done to her today.

I don't know what came over me, I was just having a really bad morning because Tobe told me he would return for his vengeance today, and I didn't even get any sleep last night. Once I saw Pucca come up to me earlier today, I knew I was getting angry, and once she hugged me, I got even angrier. I did regret it at the time. She didn't deserve it. Once the first tear dropped, I knew that was the worst thing I have ever done to someone who was innocent. I just really hope Pucca can forgive me. I just realized that I've been walking slower because of my thoughts. I began to walk faster thinking about Pucca missing.

I was still a bit far from the Goh-Rong, when someone short and tiny bumped into me.

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**Uh oh! Pucca's hiding her emotions.. that can't be good... Thanks for reading! I'll try to update ASAP. Please review (:**


	3. Step 1: Run Away

**Hooray! Chapter 3! I was going to take a_ long_ break for the suspense to rise up, but I can't do that to Pucca fans (: so I'm gonna update a lot quicker now. Literally I've been rewatching Pucca episodes all summer, and I am seriously obsessing with it all over again. Anyways, thank for the reviews! I enjoy reading them, and please leave more! (: btw, this chapter is when it starts to get crazy, so I tried my hardest. And sorry to the people who don't like it when Pucca and Garu talk, but you have to understand that it's_ really_ hard writing a story when the 2 main characters don't talk. Some people can do it successfully but I can't so**

**btw i am literally the loneliness person ever so don't hesitate to talk to me (: i need a friend/**

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**Pucca's POV**

After speaking to Tobe for hours, we finally made a deal, which he agreed that we would start tomorrow. I'm not trying to harm Garu in any way. But the deal was that I would have to be Tobe's servant so he could back off Garu a little bit. I did mention to Tobe that I wouldn't participate in destroying Garu, I would only do what Tobe says. It's complicated a bit, but if I don't listen to Tobe's commands, he'll have his vengeance. And I can't let that happen to Garu.

I began strolling towards home as the sun was close to setting. I would guess that it's probably around 8. Ching and I should be in the Goh-Rong right now eating dinner. There is a huge chance that she's there right now, so I should hurry on home so she isn't suspicious when I join her so late. If she does ask, I guess I could lie and say I've just been taking a long walk by myself. I really shouldn't lie, but I have to. It's the choice that's making me.

Right now, all I could think about is Garu. I can't stand not being able to see him anymore, it just really breaks my heart; even worse than when he pushed me. Unfortunately, I can't talk to him at all, until I finally know what to say. So right now, if I do see him, I have to run away. It's like we're reversing roles... except he doesn't love me.

I just don't see why that boy can't just train in some other village. He has too many villains here, and a clingy friend...

He can just leave if he wants to, but he's selfish enough to stay here only because he's the most "honorable" ninja here, and _everybody just adores him_... especially me.. Maybe I'm just having bad thoughts right now because I'm tired and hungry. The only time I've had bad thoughts about Garu was this morning, but all other times, I've just been ranting in my head about how much I love him, and how much he means to me.

I should really walk faster. I kept walking until I felt my small flat body against a tall muscular man.

I took a step back immediately. I've had enough with talking to people for today with the whole Tobe thing. So a quick apology is all I will do. Normally, I would make a friendly conversation, but I've had enough with males today."Ah, I'm so sor-" I looked up at the man with the green eyes I recognized so fast. He was looking down at me.. I bumped into Garu.

**Garu's POV**

I looked down at Pucca who was completely frightened. The look of her face made me feel guilty. I knew she was upset about what happened, but I wouldn't have ever guess that she would be scared of me. Her eyes were fully wide open with pupils that were so dilated, I couldn't even see the brown. She was trying to say something.

"-ry." she finished quietly. She stumbled back trying to sneak away without me noticing, but I knew this right away. She quickly turned around and attempted to run, luckily I'm faster than she is. She took a few steps until I caught up to her and grabbed her elbow.

"Pucca please, I know what I did was wron-" I started to apologize, until she interrupted.

"No, no, no! Let me go! Please Garu! Let go!" she was begging and whining with her eyes shut, using her other hand to take mine off her arm. She was struggling to get out of my grip. I was still determined to not let go until she calmed down. But why was _she_ so committed to run away?

"No, Pucca please, calm down." I said patiently, anticipating she would stop trying to get away.

She looked up at me and our eyes connected. I examined her eyes; the tears were welling up, and she was ready to start crying. "No! Let go! I hate you! I told you I would stop loving you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" she was screaming. She looked back up at me.

She had a sad pout on her face, and I knew that I shouldn't be grasping her elbow.

That's one thing I can't stand to watch; Pucca crying. Whenever she sheds her sad tears, I feel like it's my fault, no matter what. Even if it has nothing to do with me, it makes me feel guilty. I finally let go of her arm and she ran away sobbing. For a second, I figured that I should probably chase after her, but that might be a really bad idea, considering her actions today.

I guess I really should have left her alone for the day. It doesn't look like she's going to come back to me tomorrow. I really need explain this to Ching. None of this is right. I walked on home, still thinking about Pucca, and where she would go.

'_I hate you!' _

I could still hear her doleful voice in my head screaming those words. Did she really mean that? Is it even possible to go from loving someone to hating someone in one day? I don't believe it. She has to be lying.

**Pucca's POV**

I couldn't take it when Garu was holding onto my elbow tight like that while I was trying to run away. I forced myself to cry so Garu could feel guilty enough to let go. At first it was fake crying, but after he let go of me, it turned into real crying as I was running away from him. Not once in my life have I had to run away from Garu personally. He's the one who usually runs away from me, and that breaks my heart, but running away from him somehow broke my heart even worse.

It's now officially dark and I was wandering alone. I feel like there is nobody for me anymore. I know people like my uncles, and Ching, and pretty much everybody in this entire village loves me (except Garu), but I feel like I am completely 100% alone. All the confidence drained out of me. I don't know what to do anymore. Without Garu, I'm hopeless. But I know he's better off without me. So I need to let him be. He deserves it, even if he can be a real jerk sometimes.

My eyes are probably red and swollen just like they were this morning.

I slowed down my walking until I came to a complete stop. I lied down on the warm soft grass and allowed myself to relax as I wiped my own tears away. Normally in love stories, there's always a man there to wipe the tears away for you, but like I said, this is reality. I'm still going to run away from Garu. I'll return home soon and live my normal life, still on Tobe's deal, and if I see Garu, I'll just do what he always does. Run away. Until I have enough confidence to just simply ignore him. I sat up and walked back towards the Goh-Rong. Hopefully this time; Garu won't be outside.

...

I opened the door and thankfully, there was no sign of Garu. I sighed in relief and walked in. A few people looked over at me at smiled, and I smiled and waved back. It still wasn't the same as smiling to Garu. I glanced over at Ching who was waving her arm for my attention. My shattered and broken heart started to heal. After a day of sorrow, just seeing my best friend there cheered me up. I skipped over to her table, giving the people an illusion of my happiness.

I reached to her table and gave her a big hug, as an apology for hiding away all day, she hugged me back. "Pucca, where have you been all day?" she asked as we disconnected our embrace. I sat down and I knew I had to lie.

"I just wanted a day to myself. Just walk around and just let my thoughts flow." I answered so smoothly enough that she would believe it's the truth. After our meals were served, she brought something up that I didn't want to hear.

"That's good. Even Garu was worried about you." she said looking down at her bowl eating. I cringed when I heard his name.

"Garu?"  
"Yeah, I stopped by at his house to ask if he has seen you."  
"And?"  
"Oh he said not lately."

Thank goodness he didn't tell her about this morning. I'm not planning on telling her, because if I do, I might accidentally reveal the Tobe secret. I'll just wait until she gets the memo that I don't like Garu anymore. Which isn't true. My thoughts were interrupted as the doors suddenly slammed open.

**Garu's POV**

I was sitting on the floor in my house watching TV when Mio marked his way towards me. He lifted his black paw onto my leg, demanding my attention. He was awake when I came back, so he must be wondering where I was. "Sorry, Mio. I had to run an errand." I said. He began purring as he sat on my lap. It suddenly reminded me of how Pucca used to always sit on my lap without my permission when we were little kids. But then again, she does things without my permission all the time. At least not anymore.

I wasn't paying attention to the movie at all, I couldn't stop thinking about Pucca and how hurt she was. Was it my fault? Rethinking what happened, I only just realized that I was holding onto her elbow too tight. That could have encouraged her to freak out even more. It's not like I miss her; it's just that I'm not ready for everything to completely change over something stupid.

It's still around dinner time, so Ching must be in the Goh-Rong eating. I need to discuss this with her right now. I know what I did was wrong, but Pucca is acting completely unbelievable. I lifted up Mio from my lap and placed him on the floor. I stood up, also giving him the signal that we need to go do something. He gave me the look of annoyance, but I didn't care. This is concerning all our friendships, so it's important.

We walked outside towards the Goh-Rong, I don't know if Pucca's there or not, but I don't care. I know she wouldn't make a scene in front of people. If only we were in the Goh-Rong at the time, she wouldn't have screamed and ran away. Sure, Pucca can be childish, but she's mature enough to not want people to see our business. I was pacing fast enough, so I got to the restaurant pretty quickly. All the potential has been built up since the moment I stepped outside my door, so I slammed the doors open loudly by accident. I wouldn't have slammed it that hard if I wasn't so goddamn angry.

**Pucca's POV**

I looked over towards the door, curious of who's willing to start commotion. It felt as if my heart discontinued to beat when I saw Garu's face once again. His eyes were locked on mine. Only few people were looking, but not enough to notice how frightened I really feel right now. He made his way towards our table, and I nearly just about exploded. I would have started screaming again if we weren't in public. For a few seconds I didn't know what to do, but I finally made my decision.

I scooted my chair from the table and ran upstairs into my room. Thank goodness I was able to keep my sadness and anger under control so I wouldn't slam the door. I only just realized that I have been lacking my breathing these past few seconds, so I began breathing hardly. I looked into my room and spotted all my Garu posters on my wall and my handmade Garu plush doll which lays on my bed. I suddenly felt agony as I realized that there was no reason to keep any of these anymore. I did what I thought I would never do.

I took the Garu posters down.

**Garu's POV**

I made my way towards Pucca's table. Although I was focused on Pucca and her body language, I was still aiming to speak to Ching, and I knew Pucca was going to run away from the look of her face. I made halfway through the room when she finally scooted her chair away from the table and made a run for it upstairs. I stopped and watched her as she reached to her door, I am pretty surprised she didn't slam it.

All the fellow people in the restaurant went back to eating and making conversations with their peers, understanding that this isn't their business. Ching looked over at me clearly confused. I reached to her table and sat down in Pucca's abandoned chair. I did regard Ching to go upstairs after Pucca to see what's wrong; but I think she got the message that Pucca does not want to be with anybody.

"Hey Garu. Um, do you know why Pucca..?" she asked pointing to Pucca's door. I needed to tell the truth, and it'll be better coming from my mouth so she would understand even more. I told her about today and how Pucca refuses to be in the same room with me. I could tell by her face that she was a little heart broken when I told her about pushing Pucca, but she understood how sorry I was.

That's what I appreciate about Ching, she actually listens and understands. I wouldn't be able to tell anyone else without them concluding that I'm a monster. Which is somewhat true to Pucca.

"Well if you want, I could probably go up there and talk to her. Maybe convince her to calm down before you come to her." she suggested. I knew if Ching talked to her, Pucca would listen and not run away.

"That's good. Just let her know that I am really sorry. She wouldn't listen to me." I added. She nodded and understood. She probably ships me and Pucca the most out of this village, but yet again, she is Pucca's best friend. I made my way out of the Goh-Rong; counting on Ching to solve all this.

**Pucca's POV**

I was holding onto the little Garu doll. The doll I had made 5 years ago ,when I was only 10 years old. I put a lot of effort into this little thing, it's a huge shame to just throw it out. I bit my lip, wishing to not throw it away. I glanced at my nightstand, and I quickly opened the drawer, and hid the plush. I was thrown off by the knock of my door.

I silently made my way to the door and slowly twisted the knob. I stuck my head out to see who it was, and thankfully, it was Ching. I opened the door all the way and welcomed her in.

"Pucca... your room. You took all the Garu posters down!" Ching exclaimed sounding alarmed looking around the room, as if she had never seen it before.

"Yeah.. I threw them out.." I said weakly looking away.

"So Pucca, Garu told me about what happened." she admitted. She read my face on time. "But Pucca, listen. He's really really really sorry. He wants to apologize but you keep running away from him." Ching said. She was trying to help, but this only put pressure on me.

Ching had a point. Everything would be back to normal if I just accepted Garu's apology. But I had made a deal with Tobe. And I assume Garu only wants to apologize to gain some honor back, I know he wouldn't mean it.

All this torture made me say the biggest lie that has ever come out of my mouth.

"But Ching.. I don't love Garu. I love Tobe." I lied. I said it painfully. Those words will haunt me for my life. I was never the type of person to lie, but under these circumstances, I had to. Her eyes widened and I assume that she believed me. She looked down, trying to think of what to say, as if she doesn't understand English anymore. After a few seconds, she brought her eyes back up to mine.

"Pucca, you're my best friend, and you know that I will always accept your choices, but please, I don't think this is a good idea." she said. She wasn't arguing, she was just trying to reason with me. I know it's not a good idea to love Tobe. I just have to say it or else she won't get off my back about Garu.

"I'm sorry. But that's my choice." I apologized. She nodded her head, and I could tell she felt awkward.

"Listen, I should head on home. But we need to definitely hang out tomorrow." she insisted with a smile. I'm glad my choices don't effect our friendship. I smiled and giggled, indicating yes. She left on home and then it shot me.

Tears started streaming down my cheeks suddenly, and I was confused for a second. Why am I crying? It took me a few minutes to understand why I'm crying; now everybody will think I love Tobe.

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**Awwww! Poor Pucca. I hate to torture her like this, but that's story writing kids! Anyways, thanks for reading, and I will try to update ASAP! PLEASE leave a review! I definitely enjoy reading them and they mean so much to me (:**


	4. Step 2: Ignore Part 1

**Great! Chapter 4! I don't really have much to say sooo enjoy! But notice how each chapter is getting longer and longer? (; And please leave a review! Each review means a lot to me! Like I said, reviews are the only way I'll feel motivated enough to keep this going. And somebody talk to me, I need a friend :|**

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**Pucca's POV**

Tobe was in front of me, with his rough hand held tight onto my small wrist. He was practically dragging me as we made our way through the forest to Garu's house.

_-Flashback-_

I knocked on the rusty door of Tobe's lair. I could feel all the nervousness rush up to my body. This is definitely the danger zone. What would Tobe even make me do? He never mentioned what my assignments would be. I'm okay with being his stupid maid, but I'm concerned about his commands. My thoughts trailed off as the door opened revealing the darkest villain in the village.

The dangerous ninja wearing prussian blue is standing ahead of me, and I'm starting to feel weak. Is he doing this? Or is this the weakness coming from my lies? I don't even know anymore. I felt a deep wave of depression as he looked at me, with that evil smirk he always has.

"Hello, Pucca. Why I didn't expect you to be here." he joked crudely as his smirk grew. He chuckled to himself and let me in. I lumbered into his messy lair and it was disgusting. Every little inch of mold caught my attention. But something even more important is going through my mind right now. I have to tell him what I had told Ching last night, or else everything will be ruined. He was babbling about something I wasn't listening to, until I interjected.

"Listen Tobe. I know this is kinda too much to ask but.. Ching was talking to me about Garu and I told her that I loved _you_ to cover up me not loving Garu anymore. And I don't! I was lying! But the thing is..." I tried to explain to Tobe the mess I was in.

"You what!?" Tobe snarled.

"Hey! If I didn't mention that lie, I would have accidentally blurted out the whole thing about me being your servant." I hissed, trying to defend my actions.

"You- wait. Ohhhh." he cut himself off and began thinking to himself. What was he thinking? I tried to read his face, because he is obviously thinking something devious. Hopefully it had nothing to do with Garu.

"I have it. You are going to have to act like my girlfriend." he declared.

That caught my attention quickly. Although I have no strength right now, I have to fight back. "Hell no. That's not happening." I asserted, hopefully giving him the limitations of my doing.

"Excuse me? What did you say miss _servant_? I didn't quite catch that."  
"I will not pretend to be your girlfriend, Tobe!"  
"You're the one who told the lie. And besides, if you don't, Garu will know that you still love him."

... I was trapped. I have no choice than to pretend to be Tobe's girlfriend. But how will Garu react to this? But yet again, he doesn't care. He never cared when any boy flirted with me. He had no problem with the "rich and super famous" guy trying to take me away from him. He did nothing about it, expect when he helped him win me over! But isn't this different? This is Tobe; Garu's enemy. Pretty much everybody's enemy. Garu is going to feel betrayed.. but I'm not trying to betray him..

"Oh boy. This'll weaken Garu." Tobe commented as he grabbed my wrist before we evacuated out the door.

-_End of Flashback-_

What's going to happen now? I don't even understand what I'm supposed to feel anymore. I want to cry, scream, yell, and also run and never look back. But I'm holding all of it in, because I don't really know how to express it right now. The fact that Tobe is dragging Garu into this is snapping my heart even worse than before. I love Garu but.. I don't want anything to do with him anymore. I can't even look at Garu without wanting to cry, knowing that I could never have him. No matter how many times I force myself on him..

But what's going to happen to Garu? Girls will soon get the sign that I don't like him, and they're going to be all over him, just like I was. I can't stand it when a girl even looks at Garu, but Garu doesn't feel the same when a boy looks at me. I've been a fool; I have been loving a boy all these years who does not, and will not love me back.

I recognized the trail that leads to Garu's home, and that made me realize that we're getting close. The one trail I used to skip on everyday, eager to see _him_. But it isn't the same, being dragged on the trial, for the wrong reason. We reached his destination, and we hopped onto the doorstep. Tobe forcefully pounded on the door.

Tobe had told me if Garu had even try to hurt him, I would step in. Tobe couldn't afford to be injured anymore. I kept repeating that demand in my head, hopefully Garu won't be looking for a fight.

**Garu's POV**

Of course as I guessed, Pucca didn't show up for her daily visit this morning. Which made me wonder, where would she be if she's not with me? She would most likely be with Ching. Pucca wouldn't stay home all morning, she's extremely social. But the thing that bothered me the most out of all this is.. would she move on right away? Pucca did say she would stop loving me, and that she hates me, but who knows? She could have been lying.

Pucca loved me no matter what. She would always give me that brightest and happiest smile, even if I was irascible. There's no way she would just stop. I gained a little bit more anger thinking about a boy even looking at Pucca. Normally, if I see one do so, as much as the anger I had, I wouldn't think much of it. Why? Because I knew Pucca would not dare to like somebody else. But it doesn't seem that way anymore.

There was a forceful knock on my door. Would it be Pucca? If that was Pucca knocking, then she must be angry. I sat up from my meditation and I ambled to the door. A bit inside of me was scared due to the knocking, but the rest was a relieved feeling. Although I still don't know if it is Pucca. I opened the door which revealed something that truly infuriated me.

**Pucca's POV**

The door opened which revealed the man of my dreams. I studied his face as he looked down at me, he was angry yet confused. I gathered the thoughts on what would I do if I was Tobe's girlfriend, and I finally clung onto Tobe's muscular arm, giving Garu the "girlfriend illusion". I looked down while doing it. I was just so tempted to let go of Tobe's arm and hop onto Garu hugging and kissing him, but I just couldn't. I looked back up at Garu, but his eyes were towards Tobe's eyes, with a scowl.

He looked back down at me. "Pucca, what is going on?" he asked, his voice sounded demanding, as if he was demanding me to answer. I looked up at Tobe, and I knew I was supposed to talk. Although I'm supposed to be ignoring Garu, I had to talk for his sake.

"I'm sorry Garu, but I'm Tobe's girlfriend now." I apologized sadly, looking away. I scooted closer to Tobe. I'm not an actor, but I know I pulled it off. I can't see his face, but he is either angry, or he doesn't care.

"Oh poor Garu, looks like your wittle girlfriend is no longer on your side anymore." Tobe teased at Garu. I rolled my eyes, and so did Garu. Tobe you're such an idiot.

"What?" Garu asked facing me. I'm guessing he is shocked and confused, but just to make sure, I looked up at him. I was right, he is shocked and confused. Our eyes connected once again. The angry eyes I'm used to are the ones that he gives me when I kiss him, but these were not the same type of angry eyes.

This is so stupid. All of this happening because Garu pushed me?

"Tobe, may I speak to Pucca please? Privately?" Garu sneered. Fear came across me, and it came quick. What is Garu going to do? What does he want to say? And why privately? Tobe looked down at me, and I'm guessing he trusted me enough to talk to Garu alone without telling the truth. Seriously Tobe? You trust Garu enough to let him talk to me alone? Does anything concern you at all?

"Why, of course Garu." Tobe said before I released my hands off his arm. I would expect him to go home, but I watched as he hid. Fortunately, Garu did not notice. A bit of relief came to me, knowing that somebody will be a witness of whatever Garu does to me. But that relief was destroyed by my fear when I looked at Garu. He was inflamed. I look down immediately, just staring at my black flats, because that's all I am capable of doing right now.

"Pucca, look at me." Garu demanded.

**Garu's POV**

"Tobe, may I speak to Pucca please? Privately?" I was sneering, trying my best to be polite. I noticed Pucca, and she looked panicked. She slowly shifted her head to up Tobe, she was looking at him nervously. I still don't know myself what I was going to do or say, but it'll come to me once Tobe leaves.

"Why, of course Garu." Tobe said right before Pucca released his arm. Thankfully, Tobe is stupid enough to go home, leaving his so called "girlfriend" with me. As Pucca's face was turned away watching him leave, I took a second to relax, I had to keep my anger under control. I don't want to make the same mistake I did yesterday.

Pucca turned back to me and we looked directly into each others eyes. She immediately withdrew and looked down at her shoes, obviously not wanting to make eye contact. "Pucca, look at me." I demanded. She didn't make any movement at all. Her eyes were still focused downward. Her hands were behind her back and she was refusing to say anything. I crossed my arms. Why the hell is she ignoring me?

"Pucca." I called her name, trying to see if she'll respond to anything. She still didn't make any difference. I paid close attention to the small part of her face I could see, and she looked dismal. I sighed and clearly she heard because she raised her head a tiny bit and her eyes scanned up to mine, letting me know that she's paying attention.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked roughly.

"...What?" she responded so quietly that I barley heard her, even with my high hearing.

"Suddenly being Tobe's girlfriend? What do you think you're doing?" I repeated a bit harsh and loud. I really shouldn't put her on the spot, but what she is doing is truly unbelievable.

No response. I clenched my fists.

"Damn it, Pucca! I'm sorry for what I did yesterday. Really I am. But do you think all _your_ problems will be solved by dating Tobe!? The villain? My enemy?" I shouted at her. She winced a bit due to my loud voice. I have never yelled at Pucca before.

"I didn't think you would care..." Pucca mumbled, lifting her head up completely only to look to her left, still avoiding contact. "It's not like you ever liked me. I just figured you would be happy..." She looked down again and began fidgeting with her fingers.

"Even if I don't like you, you would just offer yourself to Tobe? You can have any guy you want in this village, and you choose either the busiest or the villain?!" I yelled turning away. Yelling at an innocent little girl is only making me feel guilty.

"Pucca, how could you possibly think I wouldn't care? This is Tobe we're talking about! Any other guy would be different! But of course you _had_ to choose Tobe! And of course you couldn't have just listened and accepted my apology, you _had_ to make a big deal and run away! None of this would be happening right now if you would just give me a break once in a while!" I kept on ranting, still turned away from Pucca.

"I just wanted somebody to love." she said sadly with a tint of regret in her voice. Was she regretting loving me or regretting loving Tobe? Hopefully the latter.

"What you have been doing all these years is not love! It's torture! And I would have shown more affection if you would just simply back off sometimes! I have considered giving you a chance multiple times, but you just suddenly jumping on and tackling me every single day just bothered me enough to a point where I couldn't take it anymore!" I kept yelling. I turned around to meet her eyes again, knowing that she would be in tears. Her face completely threw me off

Blank.

Her face was blank, as if she had not been listening this entire time. She stared ahead in my direction, but just not up to my eyes. The only reason I turned away is because I knew she would start crying, and I can't stand to see her cry. But to my surprise, she was completely ignoring me. This angered me.

"Are you listening?" I asked calmed down.

No response. She completely tuned me out. There's no point in yelling anymore, and I would never hurt a girl. I'm just going to have Ching talk some sense into Pucca.

"Whatever." I crudely muttered as I walked inside my house and slammed the door. I heard her walking off the doorstep. I sat down next to Mio and allowed myself to relax. I should not have to get all hyped up from this. After a couple of minutes, I stood up and gave Mio the signal for training time. I should at least cherish the all the free time I will be getting now.

**Pucca's POV**

"What you have been doing all these years is not love! It's torture! And I would have shown more affection if you would just back off sometimes! I have considered giving you a chance multiple times, but you just suddenly jumping on and tackling me every single day just bothered me enough to a point where I couldn't take it anymore!" he was yelling.

My eyes were already welled up with tears. I knew that if he kept going, I would start crying. I quickly blinked out the tears and performed a straight blank face, the second before Garu turned to face me.

He studied my face with a stern expression. I didn't look directly at him in the eyes, but I could still see his boiling face.

"Are you listening?" he asked a little calm now. Yes Garu, I am listening, and I'm about to start crying. I didn't give him any kind of response. I was worried about what he would do now, but he eventually gave up. "Whatever." he muttered as he walked into his house and shut the door. I was able to control my tears for now. I walked off his doorstep, finding that Tobe was giving me a thumbs up for not spoiling the secret.

We walked out far enough so that Garu wouldn't see or hear us.

"Excellent. Now Garu will be weak and frail for the next few days. Muahahahah." he spilled out his stupid evil laugh that doesn't even sound evil or a laugh at all. I was still thinking about what Garu had said. He thought about giving me a chance before? I regret everything now. I regret all the times I have tackled him and gave him kisses. I just always assumed that's how he would fall in love with me back, but it apparently only did the opposite.

"Now, first things first; you need to take those buns out." Tobe said pointing to my odangos.

"What? But this is my signature hair style. I have been doing this since Garu started to put his hair up." I stated. It took me a few seconds to realize what Tobe was implying. The only reason I've had put my hair up like this for years is because of Garu. I sighed. Tobe was right, these odangos are like a scar from loving Garu. I guess it's time to heal this scar. I reached up and took the hair ties out, letting my wavy and messy hair flow all the way down to my waist. It's been 5 years since anybody has seen me with my hair down.

"Good. As long as you have your hair down and you stick with me, people will know that you're over Garu, right?" he asked as if he intended to mock me. He knew I still loved Garu, he just wants to mess with me to make me feel weak. Well, it is working. I looked down.

"I guess." I shrugged.

"Well, you're free to go for now. I have some planning to do back at home." Tobe smirked. I nodded and he walked on home. I glanced around me, and luckily nobody was in sight. I saw a linden tree and walked on over to it. I sat down with my back against the tree with my knees against my chest, remembering about what had happened earlier today.

Garu yelled at me today, and he has never raised his voice to me before. All these years I've been trying to show Garu my love for him, but he always considered it torture? He wouldn't care if I went out with any other guy, and he even strictly said that. I just don't know what to feel anymore. All the emotions I have been bottling up was finally let out. I felt the first tear fall out of my left eye, and I knew that if one tear fell, they would never stop.

I sobbed into my hands. And after about a couple minutes, I fell asleep from the crying.

_**\- Pucca's dream -**_

_I was strolling down the streets of Sooga, but this time, everything seemed normal. There was no deal with Tobe, Garu never pushed me, I had my odangos, everything was just completely normal. Garu, the boy I love so much popped into my mind, right before I just so happened to see him walking along the streets also. I giggled as I fangirled watching him, and his cute calm walk. Instead of running to him for a surprise attack, I only skipped towards his way getting ready for the chase, when a blonde made her way to Garu faster. I stopped in my tracks and watched. She was clearly flirting with him, showing off her tight short dress that practically hugged her perfect busty body, and he seemed to be enjoying it._

_She was a couple inches taller than me, but the perfect size for Garu. Ring Ring has always picked on me for being too short, and now I finally see what she meant. The blonde's breasts seemed even bigger compared to my flat chest._

_The anger boiled within, and I was ready to stomp over there and uppercut that girl. But suddenly I couldn't move. I tried running, but my legs somehow refused, like they were glued to the ground. I tried lifting my legs, but it only made me lose my balance and I face planted into the hard ground, dirt got all over my face. I lifted my head up only to see that Garu was surrounded by attractive girls all in tight clothes, sexually giggling._

_I couldn't move, I was trapped watching what seemed like a horror movie. I can't do anything anymore, this is like a nightmare. The tears started to stream down my dirty face from witnessing all of this. I know I probably look like a mess right now. Garu saw me on the ground crying, and he made his way out of the crowd and over to me. He had some sort of guilty look on his face. He knelt down and wiped my tears since I couldn't move my arms anymore. He suddenly cupped my chin, bringing my head closer to his, when our lips connected. I can't believe it. Garu kissed me. He chose me out of all those girls._

_"Why would he pick her?" "She's like flat as a board." "Ew, her face is dirty." I heard a couple of girls say as they were clearly jealous. But I didn't care, my eyes were closed just enjoying the moment, and my heart exploded._

**_\- End of dream -_**

I woke up to the feeling of my heart exploding. My heart was pounding fast as I was trying to catch my breath. It took me a few seconds to realize everything. That was only a dream, this is reality. I felt some sort of sorrow knowing that it was just a dream. I chuckled to myself thinking about how stupid I must be to think that it could actually happen. Not one part of the dream seemed real, like how Garu left the girls to wipe my tears. Let alone the kiss. I sighed, there's no hope anymore.

I sat up and stretched my back. I wonder if Ching is at the Goh-Rong..

...

I opened the door and all the friendly villagers looked over at me giving me a smile and a wave. A couple people were shocked about my suddenly changed hair. I saw Ching at her usual table, getting ready to order for lunch. I sat down next to her and greeted her.

"Hey Ching." I merrily said.

"Hey Pucca. Wow you took your odangos out." Ching said focusing on my long hair. I don't think Ching has seen me with my hair down in 5 years also, and she's my best friend. Even when I sleep, I kept my buns in, because I knew Garu kept his in.

"Yeah, it reminded me too much of Garu. Since I only put mine up to match Garu's..." I confessed. I knew she could tell I felt vulnerable about it.

"Well, I think you still look cute with your hair down." she complimented, trying to cheer me up.

We were talking about small things, and after a while, I noticed she was opting to say something. She already knows about Tobe being my "boyfriend" so I could at least tell her that I was with him.

"Sorry I couldn't be here for breakfast. I was with Tobe." I admitted. At least it wasn't a lie.

"It's fine." Ching said giving me her happy smile. We kept talking until we finally finished our lunch. We decided a trip to the mall would make up for those times I've been ditching from hanging out. We left the Goh-Rong and began strolling through the streets of Sooga. A sudden flashback came to me, remembering my dream and the last time I was on the streets thinking of Garu.

I let that pass by me, I'm not going to let anything bother me. And if I do happen to see Garu, I'll just simply ignore him, like earlier today.

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**Yay! Chapter 4 complete! I think the dream sequence was the funnest part of writing this chapter. Usually I'm not really good when it comes to writing dreams, but I thought that this sort of dream was interesting to write. It was pretty fun. And btw, no I do not like torturing Pucca. But here's a tip for writing: you have to kick them where it hurts.**

**Anyways, thanks for the reviews so far! Please leave more! Please. And I think that I might as well just start writing chapter 5 like now so (:**


	5. Step 2: Ignore Part 2

**Alriiiiiight! (read that in Linda's voice. we all know which Linda I'm talking about) Anyways, here is part 2! Sorry I had to split it, but you'll find out why (; PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! FOR THE LOVE OF THIS WEBSITE PLEASE START REVIEWING OMG OR THIS WON'T BE CONTINUED. sorry i got a little hyped up there. BUT SERIOUSLy. Even 1 word will do! I enjoy reading them, and they help me out a lot, encouraging me to keep going. But please enjoy chapter 5 :D I kinda got distracted a lot because of school and I've got involved lately and I am officially the assistant stage manager in stagecraft! :DDD so I don't really have a lot of free time but I will determine to keep this fanfic going! Only if I get more reviews tho _**

**Thank you to the people who have reviewed so far! I really appreciate it!**

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**Garu's POV**

Mio and I both stepped outside together ready to resume our normal daily training. Since there will possibly be no more chase routine anymore due to Pucca's questionable choices, I'm going to have to train to exhaustion even harder for now on. Regularly at this hour I eat lunch but clearly there are many reasons why I can't now. The only way to cool off is to just simply train, because it'll take my disruptive thoughts away. We practiced our skills for about 5 minutes until I heard a muffled crying.

I took a second to stop and think. It sounded familiar... almost like Pucca's cries. Why would she be crying? And why does it sound like something is covering her mouth? The many questions in my head corrupts the second I remember Tobe. He better not have done anything to her. Pucca has already suffered enough because of me. Although I have suffered all my life because of her, she doesn't deserve it back.

Pucca and Tobe suddenly become a couple and now I hear her crying 10 minutes later? Obviously something is up. Pucca was always there for me, so I need to look for her to check if she's safe in return. I turned to Mio, with his bright amber eyes staring back in confusion, evidently he hears the crying as well. "I'll be right back." I say before I turn and leave while placing my sword in the sheath on my back. I was traveling all around the forest, wondering which direction Pucca is. Suddenly the crying slowly stopped, and that's when I was beginning to worry now.

Could she have cried because of me? I did yell at her, but yet again it didn't look like she even cared. Her expression was complete boredom! And I know Pucca, if she's sad, she will not keep it in. She will cry her little heart out forever. I kept on walking around for about 10 minutes until I finally found Pucca.

The first thing I noticed was her hair because she finally let it loose. It makes me kind of sad knowing that she only took them out because of me. When my hair began growing too long, I started to put it up, and so did she because she wanted to match. I always thought it was sweet of her, but it's strange seeing it down now. After 5 years, I completely forgot what it looked like down and free.

She was sitting and leaning against a tree, with her legs spread out, and her head dangling down. I began to get curious with her uncomfortable position. I walked right in front of her and knelt. I could hear her breathing quietly and peaceful. Oh thank goodness she is just asleep. But where's Tobe? Why would he just leave her here all alone? And why was she crying?

She slowly rose her head and I began to panic, but she was still asleep, and all she did was place it against the tree. Her careless side bangs were covering up half her face, so I steadily brushed her raven black hair behind her ear. I examined her closed eyes, and there was still a tear by her long eyelashes that have not fallen yet. I reached my arm out and wiped it for her, trying my best not to disturb her nap. She must have not gotten much sleep last night. I guess that makes the two of us.

I couldn't stop looking at her precious face. I do have feelings for her I'll admit, but I push those feelings to the side along with her. Every single time I have thought of giving her a chance, she would tackle me down out of nowhere and drown me with her kisses. Which is why I don't use my deathly weapons as much as I used to. Whenever I'm sparring with Abyo, I just use strength with my fists and feet. I've always been frightened of her popping out while I'm using my weapons.

Although the chase between us two helps me a lot with my speed training, it does get annoying. Especially when I'm the one who gets hurt from it. The only time I will stop running is when I hear her trip and fall. When ever I fall down she picks me up and kisses all over my face. I just stop to help her ad make sure she isn't hurt. And of course she kisses me all over because she over exaggerates the fact that I care about her. I just don't want to be the one at fault if she's hurt.

I'm too selfish, because any guy in this village would feel honored being kissed by Pucca. I had all these years to give in and become her boyfriend, but after I make one mistake- it's all over and I lose her. Now Pucca and Tobe are together which just makes me regret everything. I should have taken her when I had all those chances. My regretful thoughts was interrupted by the sound of Pucca moaning uncomfortably. She was still sound asleep, and there was no sign of Tobe, so I was safe.

Every time she would kiss me, I would turn away or give her a stern look that says "knock it off". But about 2 years ago, I started realizing how heart warming it felt knowing how much she cared and loved me. Even when I was younger than that, I always appreciated the affection, just never returned it. But I still can't believe Pucca is crazy enough to date somebody like Tobe. Just how many times has Tobe tried to kill her?

It's just beyond ridiculous how Pucca always chooses the wrong guy, and that is including me. I don't deserve a loving adorable little girl like Pucca. But Pucca is much more than that. She's anything you could ever adore for. She's cute, strong, talented, clever, funny, and just simply a loving person being around. You could never find a single flaw in this girl, no matter how hard you try. But somebody like Tobe? Although, any other boy would not have been any different, I would have still yelled and be vexed. But Pucca doesn't deserve being yelled at. I should not have raised my voice at her, just the sight of her wincing the tiniest bit made me feel guilty.

Pucca began whimpering as if she was having a bad dream. I couldn't just wake her, so I kept watching her to make sure she will be okay. She began twitching badly, and that's when I realized she was having a nightmare.

I am tempting to shake her awake, but what good would that do? Sure it would wake her from the nightmare, but opening up your eyes only to see the horrible boy who pushed you to the ground and yelled at you? About a few seconds later, tears started drifting down her pout face. Now she's crying in her sleep. Like I mentioned, even though it's not my fault, I still feel guilty. She was crying involuntarily, but seeing her tears still made me feel ashamed.

I gently tried to wipe the tears away, but they just kept coming down, soaking my red gloves. What was she even dreaming about? I finally did something that neither of us thought I would ever do.

I cupped her chin and lifted her face up a bit, and made my lips connect to hers. I would never do this if she was awake, but I might as well now. Although she was asleep and could not kiss me back, I know that she would really appreciate this, even if she had a boyfriend. I felt her warm breath in mine and she finally stopped crying and whimpering. I broke out of the somewhat kiss and studied her face. She looked calm and sound asleep, and had a small lopsided smile, as if she enjoyed it. Knowing that she will be okay, I quickly stood up and quietly hid, if she would wake up. After about a few seconds, she jolted up awake. I watched as she was trying to catch her breath. I turned around to sneak back home.

It felt good knowing that I helped her escape from her nightmare.

...

I reached my destination which was home and I saw Mio napping, I sat down next to him and began to meditate. After a couple of minutes, I couldn't continue so I stopped. I don't feel relaxed at all, I keep thinking about Pucca and Tobe, and all the countless questions in my head. None of this is making sense. This shouldn't happen. I need to talk to Pucca about this and sort things out, but this time; I won't yell. I stood up knowing Pucca should be at the village by now, so I quickly made my way.

I was finally on the streets when I saw Pucca and Ching walking together and talking. Good thing they don't notice me. Pucca's hair was still down, of course. Her face seemed uncomfortable, like she doesn't belong. Is she acting strange to Ching also? Maybe it's not just me she's acting quiet around..

"Hey Garu I haven't seen you in days!" I heard my best friend shout from behind me. I turned around to see Abyo with his shirt on surprisingly. Usually at this time of day girls are all around and I would expect him to show off by now.

"Oh yeah, I've been pretty busy." I said, still debating whether I should tell Abyo. He is my closest friend but let's face it; he blurts out everything. I decided that this kind of decision was not important right now. I turned around and walked in Pucca's direction.

**Pucca's POV**

Trying to make a normal conversation with my best friend is even harder than I thought when I'm still thinking about Tobe. Whenever either of us mentions him being my boyfriend, I feel homesick and uncomfortable. I could be in my house or even in my bedroom, and if I think of Tobe, I just feel like I don't belong. I feel even more weirded out when the word "boyfriend" follows after his name. I never felt uncomfortable when I daydreamed about a future with Garu. Whenever I was with Garu, I felt like I _was_ at home.

Now I just sound pathetic. Romanticizing about somebody who clearly has no interest in me. I feel ashamed of myself, I have to just forget about him. I'm too young to be in love, no teen should ever know what it even feels like being in love, but somehow I did. There's no way it's going to happen, because this is reality. Nothing perfect ever happens. He probably doesn't see anything in me anyway. I bet he notices all the flaws I have anyways, so of course he's not attracted to me. The dream was false, Garu would be better off dating any other girl in this village.

Why am I bumming myself out? I'm heading to the mall with my best friend, c'mon Pucca, get it together and just have fun. Forget about Garu. It's no fun being depressed, I just need to calm down and enjoy hanging out with Ching while I have these small chances. Tobe might keep me busy all week anyways.

I look around me, faces of people who all love me. It's great knowing that you can make people smile, being kind is actually fun. I love being the reason for people becoming happy, so I do have something to live for. Things will get better, and I have to be alive to see it. I heard the voice of Abyo. I turned and saw Garu turned around facing him. My smile turned into a frown so quickly I forgot I was even smiling. He walked over towards me and Ching with Abyo following behind. I have to run away, but I can't, I just need to ignore.

Ching would run after me and force me to communicate with Garu if I run away, and who knows if Garu would chase after me also. I am hesitating and I know that Garu can see it. To my luck, Ching turned to me and whispered in my ear, and clearly Garu can see this also, which freaked me out even more. Abyo is just standing there next to Garu, clearly confused.

"Are you ready to talk to him?" she whispered. Am I? I looked back up at Garu and he was right in front of us crossing his arms, obviously impatient about our secret talk. No. I can't talk to him. What if Tobe finds out? What if I accidentally tell Garu the truth about Tobe? Maybe I should talk to Garu now, just so we can get the conclusion that I am now done with him. He was giving me a stern face, which made me make my decision.

I turned back to Ching and shook my head as a no, and Garu got annoyed. "Um, what's going on?" Abyo asked.

**Garu's POV**

One thing I know about Ching; she's not the greatest at whispering. I heard exactly what she asked and I just stood there in front of Pucca with my arms crossed, waiting for her answer. She looked uncomfortable being in her position with both of us staring at her expecting an answer so quickly. She was thinking about it that's for sure, but who knows what's really going on in her head? She looked up at me and she immediately turned away to Ching, and she shook her head. I began to get annoyed and Pucca sees it.

"Um, what's going on?" Abyo asked, although I understand that anybody would be confused as well, I won't bother to answer it.

"I will tell you later Abyo." Ching said giving an annoyed expression

"Pucca you can't just keep ignoring me like this." I reminded, trying my best to not get angry. I couldn't find any emotion in Pucca's face at all. She's not even looking at me so I have no way of knowing what she's thinking. I do have to give her credit, she does know how to keep a straight pretty well.

"Come on Ching, let's go." Pucca said dejectedly walking away. Ching agreed and caught up with Pucca. I can't tell what was going on in Ching's head also, she's loud at whispering, but unfortunately not loud at thinking.

"Why hello Pucca." I knew the source of that familiar voice. I turned towards their direction and saw that Tobe was in front of Pucca. She somehow looks twice as uncomfortable as she was when I was directly in front of her. Ching was witnessing this and half smiling. We can both agree that they don't make a great couple, but being the girl Ching is, of course she's going to at least act like she supports it.

People begin to look over at the unhappy couple, and I can tell they are clearly confused. Some people either glared or gave me a confused expression at me afterwards, expecting me to do something about this. "Hi Tobe." Pucca said weakly, she had a small smile. She is definitely depressed now, but why? If Pucca doesn't want to be in the relationship, she can just leave him. Why is she acting like she's trapped? I walked towards them, and Tobe's eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes. And what do _you_ want _Garu_?" he said my name so deviously. Pucca was facing away, her body towards Tobe, still ignoring me.

"What I want is to know exactly _why_ you left Pucca alone to cry earlier today." I shot at him. Pucca turned around looking at me, her eyes immediately flashed open so wide, she was completely alarmed. Tobe also seems to be in shock and confusion.

Pucca looked up at me and she looked embarrassed like she was suffering, as if she didn't want anybody to know. She turned back to Tobe. "Uhh, you cried today? When? Why?" Tobe asked, trying to sound like a boyfriend. He grabbed her small hands and held them. He fails. He sounds like he doesn't care as much as I do, and his body language just proves everything.

"Um, it was for a personal reason." Pucca said to Tobe. She wasn't lying, but she's still leaving out a bunch of information. Tobe awkwardly wrapped his arms around her body and pressed it against his. I felt my heart beating fast. Pucca would be jumping in excitement if it were me, but she just awkwardly hugged back.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there. I had no idea." Tobe said stroking her hair. None of this was believable, there's no way this is happening. I just can't take this anymore. This is only agitating to watch, this is not the Pucca I fell in love with.

"Okay enough, stop it. Let go of her Tobe." I growled. Pucca turned her head with her eyebrows raised, still snuggling on Tobe's chest. Tobe was also looking at me, giving me a face that seemed like he was mocking me. Like he was doing this on purpose.

"Stop what? Comforting my girlfriend, because you did nothing when she cried?" Tobe asked. I was obligating to tell them the favor I did for Pucca earlier, but it would probably be the dumbest thing I ever done. I also didn't appreciate the fact that Tobe was putting Pucca on the spot, because obviously she didn't want to be a part of this conversation.

"Then fight me." I jeered at him. Pucca and Tobe finally let go of each other while Tobe took his sword out, eager to fight me. Pucca took a step back next to Ching, not wanting any of this to happen.

"Fine. Then we shall." Tobe smirked, attempting to make me scared. Of course it's not working. I kick his ass every single time we battle, so I have nothing to worry about. I slowly took my sword out, holding it in the spar position. Pucca definitely started to worry now, and she stepped up to Tobe and tugged his arm.

"Tobe please don't do this." Pucca pleaded, still trying to avoid contact with me.

"Why? He did nothing when you were crying and now he's looking for a fight." Tobe said. I could tell it angered Pucca a bit. I can never take Pucca seriously when she's angry, because she still looks too adorable. It's hard to believe that cute tiny girl could put somebody in the hospital in under 10 seconds. She tugged his arm again in a demanding way.

"Tobe, we need to talk privately." Pucca said ordering him, I can tell that Tobe felt a bit annoyed but he agreed and put his sword back. They were waking a couple of yards away from me to discuss about something I have no idea about. It would make a lot more sense if Pucca wanted Tobe to fight me, because she "hates" me anyways.

**Pucca's POV**

I was holding on Tobe's arm, dragging him away from Garu and Ching. The best part about me and Tobe secretly chatting is that I don't have to be so friendly with him. We made a stop and his face only made me angrier, he seemed bored, like he doesn't care what I'm about to say.

"You said the point of this was to not fight with Garu so much anymore!" I complained. That was the first part of the deal, that he would back off a bit.

"You know what happened today? He walked by you and noticed you crying, and you know what he did? Nothing. Nothing at all. He just probably walked away and acted like he saw nothing at all." Tobe argued. The way he said it threw me off a bit. He was right. Again. I don't know why but the way Tobe says things just sounds twice as heart breaking.

"I just figured you would want me to have a little revenge right? For you?" Tobe asked like I was some 5-year-old. I rolled my eyes, and thought about how Garu really did do nothing. My dream was totally unreal, it would never happen. He would never kiss me no matter how hard I cried. Let alone a few tears.

I sighed, and Tobe pretty much knew my answer. "Okay great. Cheer me on." Tobe said gleefully trying not to start another argument as he left me behind to run back to Garu, eager to just fight with him.

**Garu's POV**

"What's wrong with Pucca, she keeps ignoring you? You guys haven't made up yet?" Ching asked. Clearly she hasn't been updated by Pucca. Which is a good thing I guess, nobody else knows about this and I want to keep it that way.

"Ugh no. She doesn't listen to me anymore." I say rolling my eyes. I looked over at Pucca and Tobe, Tobe was smiling while Pucca only looked sad. Curiosity came.

"Why is Pucca ignoring you?" Abyo asked, still not caught up.

"Do you think they make a good couple?" Ching asked looking over at them. I can tell by her voice that she also thinks they don't. Even Won seemed disgusted by their relationship. Me too little guy.

"They're dating? But I thought she was _your _girlfriend, Garu!" Abyo exclaimed obviously excited with all the drama.

"I don't even think they make a couple. It just seems fake." I said, still not removing my view from them. Ching seems like she doesn't have an opinion, but she can see that they _are_ fake. None of this is real, and I have no idea what Pucca is trying to pull. Pucca isn't slutty enough to even try to make me jealous, I know her more than anybody.

Tobe suddenly brightened up like he received good news and he happily made his way back to me. Pucca still had no emotion once she looked over and she began walking back also, right next to Ching.

"Okay Garu, now where were we?" Tobe asked the most cliche line trying to sound original. He took his sword out and finally I was ready to begin my attack, all of this was for Pucca.

**Pucca's POV**

I watched as they were doing their stupid spar. I wasn't even interested at all, I just want to go home, I don't want to watch this. I don't even know why Garu started this fight, but sure as hell it's not for me.

"You know what? I'm starving and I have seen every single fight of theirs so I'm just going to head to the Goh-Rong." Abyo said not interested as well. He and Ching said their goodbyes and he left. I envy him for being allowed to leave.

"So, aren't you going to cheer Tobe on?" Ching asked wanting to start a conversation, probably not wanting to watch either.

"I don't even care enough to pick a side." I said. It is true though, I want to root for Garu, but he doesn't deserve it.

"So you and Garu haven't made up yet?" she asked, I guess Garu told her or something.

"I don't think I want to make up with him though. What do you think I should do?" I asked looking at her as she sighed.

"I don't know but I'll be honest; I like you and Garu together better but I think it's too late." Ching said. At least she's telling the truth, she isn't just lying and saying that me and Tobe make a good couple. I can always count on Ching to be honest, and the best thing about it is that she doesn't try to be rude about it. Whenever I try to be nice to Ring-Ring and ask for her opinion, she just tries to insult me. Ching is the only girl who doesn't do that. I wish everybody was a bit more like Ching.

I don't know what to think about what she said. Is Garu really the better guy for me? I already decided that I would be done with Garu but he always ends up back into my head. Am I really doing the right thing with Tobe? Does Garu even deserve it?

Maybe I was wrong, I think I am too selfish. I was just so mad that I started to just suddenly act horrible to Garu, and even Garu could see that. I watched his innocent handsome face fighting the villain. What have I done? Garu did not deserve the crap I have been giving him lately, he deserves to be treated with respect. He's the most honorable boy in this village, and he has done a lot for me. I was just too blind earlier to see it.

Why couldn't I have appreciated it at the time? Why didn't I just stop myself from crying and apologize to Garu for bothering him after he pushed me? Why didn't I just accept _his_ apology when I had the chance instead of running away? Garu only seems to be more annoyed every time I ignore him or run away.

Garu is a gentleman, why have I been thinking the opposite lately? I watched and saw that Tobe actually got a good hit on Garu knocking his sword down. Garu doesn't deserve to be hurt by Tobe, I should have told Tobe no. Now I will be at fault if Garu does get hurt. What have I done? Garu did nothing wrong. It was me who annoyed him too much that he only did something that he already apologized for. Garu would never hurt me ever, so I shouldn't hurt him. I raced into the fight.

**Garu's POV**

I dropped my sword as Tobe knocked me down to the ground. I felt the pain in my back and I took me a few seconds to get sit up. My sword was still close enough for me to grab it, so without thinking I picked it up and stood up ready to swing back.

"No! Stop it!" Pucca screamed not wanting to watch anymore. Tugging on Tobe's arm wanting to stop the fight. She came so quickly that I didn't have time to pull my sword away. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what I just did. Pucca cheek is cut badly, and blood was dripping down her innocent face.

I couldn't believe what just happened. If I knew she was going to pop into the fight I definitely would not have continued. Tobe and Ching were in shock as well. Pucca was also taking a while to process the horrible thing I had just done. Ching was actually the first one to say something. She walked in front of Pucca blocking my view.

"Pucca! Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Ching asked sounding more concerned than how Tobe looks. All I have done is make things worse, especially for Pucca. I have only been hurting her on accident, and I just wish that she can see that.

"Yeah I- I'm fine. It just hurts a little." Puca said pretty sadly. I couldn't actually see her face, but she seems to be heartbroken. Guilt came quick, and it washed onto me pretty hard. All I want to do is apologize but that doesn't mean that she'll just glomp back onto me forgiving me. She probably still keep ignoring me, but I don't blame her though.

"Wow he got you good. Just look at how deep it is! But hey at least the blood matches your shirt." Tobe said examining Pucca's cheek. That was only angering to hear. Not only does Tobe not care that his girlfriend just got hurt, but he thinks it's funny and he's making a joke out of it. He moved to the side still giggling to himself. Pucca is really avoiding eye contact with me now, she can't even look at me.

If I don't say something now, then I'll never have my chance. I walked over to her while reaching into my pocket grabbing a handkerchief. Since I use a lot of weapons, I figured that someday somebody would probably get hurt. "Uhh here." I said still not sure if I am valid enough to even talk to her. I saw the look of pure hatred in her eyes, but she knew she had to take it for her own sake. I would rather let her use it for her cheek than for my sword.

She took it and a puddle of purple appeared on the blue handkerchief as she cleaned off the blood. "Listen Pucca, that was an accident. I am so sor-" I tried.

"Please stop hurting me." Pucca said backing away next to Tobe. She looked painfully upset now instead of angry. She clung onto Tobe's arm and hid behind Ching, too scared to even look at me now. Tobe was just smirking at me, knowing that I really messed up now. What have I done?

**Pucca's POV**

I was wrong again. Garu did it on purpose, he saw me but he still swung. I would've at least listen to his apology but then he lied and tried to convince me it was an accident. Right there I didn't want to hear it anymore. Even so, I wouldn't have accepted his apology anyway. The cut actually hurt. Sure Tobe didn't seem to care, he even laughed about it, but he actually said something to try to make me feel better. I feel like Ching is the only person who cared 100%.

It took Garu a while to actually do anything, he was probably just standing there wiping the blood of his sword proud of himself. Because everybody in this village knows that his sword is the most important thing to him. I looked over and he just stood there having no words. Yet again what would he say? He walked away knowing that there's nothing he can do.

* * *

**Aww poor Abyo. He has no idea what's going on ahah. But there you go! I finally finished chapter 5! I will try so hard to get 6 up really soon but for now, I hope you enjoyed this! It took me foreVER.**


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